Train-control system.



' PATENTBD MAR. 29,1904.

G. P. WHITTLESEY. TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 26, 1902.

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PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

G. P. WHITTLESEY. TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED 833T. 26.1902.

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' UNITED SETAT S Patented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OFEIOE.

GEORGE P. wHIITLEsEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AssIGNoR TOGENERAL ELEOTRIO COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TRAlN -CONTROL SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 755,822, dated'March29, 1904.

Application filed September 26, 1902. Serial No. 124,898. (No model.) i4 i invented certain new and useful Improvements in Train-ControlSystems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railways, and especially to thatsystem of control for a train of electric-motor cars whereby the motorson all the cars can be controlled from any car in the train by means ofa master-0on troller located adjacent to the car-controller andconnected with all of said car-controllers by train-wires.

- The object of my invention is to simplify the system by utilizingstandard car controllers and by reducing the number of trainwires tofour.

Briefly speaking, I take an electric-motor car equipped with one or twostandard handoperated controllers and provide each controller with anattachment by means of which two or more such cars can be made up into atrain controllable from either car. tachment comprises a gear-wheel onthe shaft of the controller-cylinder, a small electric motor suitablygeared to said wheel, a singlepole double-throw switch constituting amaster-controller, two train-wires with which said switch cooperatesalternately, a single-pole.

double-throw switch for connecting the small motor with either of saidwires, a cam on the gear-wheel for actuating said second switch,electromagnetic locks for holding the gearwheel and controller-cylinderin any given position, and a spring for returning the cylinder to theoff position when unlocked.

wire.

One of the train-wires may be termed the series wire and the other theparallel When the master-controller is closed on the series wire,current flows from the trolley-lead through a suitable resistance to theseries wire, thence through the motorswitch into the motor, and thenceto the ground. The motor turns thecontroller-cylinder slowly through theseveral series positions until full series is reached, when themotor-switch is operated by the cam and the motor is switched over tothe parallel wire.

Thisbeing open-circuited at the master-controller, the motor stops andthe controller is held by one of the magnetic looks from being thrownback to off position by the spring which has been put under tension bythe rotation of the cylinder. The lock is in a shunt around themotor-switch, and thus is not de- A energized when said switch is thrownfrom one circuit to the other. If it is then desired to connect thecar-motors in parallel, the mastercontroller is moved from the serieswire to the parallel wire. This open-circuits the electromagnetic lock,but starts up the motor again, and the gear-Wheel andcontroller-cylinder are turned still farther until the several parallelpoints have been passed over and the carmo-' tors are running in fullparallel. At this point the cam throws the switch back to the serieswire, and thus ,open-circuits and stops the motor; but a secondelectromagnetic lock in shunt to the switch engages the gear-wheel andprevents thespring from acting. When it is desired to return thecontroller-cylinder -,to the off position, the master-controller ismoved off the parallel wire, thus open-circuiti ng both wires and bothlocking-magnets and allowing the spring which has been put under tensionby the turning ofthe gear-wheel to return the cylinder and gear-wheel tothe starting-point. When the motor is open-circuited, it is disengagedfrom the gearing, so that the gear-wheel and controller-cylinder canturn freely. This enables each car to be controlled by hand by means ofthe ordinary controller-handle when the train-control systems gets outof order or when the cars are to be separately handled in making up orbreaking up trains or in moving about the yardor car-barn.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one mode of carrying my inventioninto practice. Figure 1 is a side elevation of a train of threemotor-oars equipped with my system of.

control. Fig. 2is a diagram of the control-circuits for a single car.Fig. 8 is a vertical section of the upper part of a car-controller,showing my attachment. Fig. l is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 5 isan end view of the driving shaft and motor. Fig. 6 is a bot- I tom planview of the gear wheel and spring,

1 of the motor-switch.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the electromagnetic lock. Fig. 8 is aperspective view Fig. 9 is a plan view and diagram of a modification.Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 11 is a detail.

The cars 1 2 3 are each provided with the usual propelling-motors 4,current-collectors 5, and hand-operated car-controllers 6, which may beconnected directly to the propellingmotors or may be connected to saidmotors through a motor-controller of the separatelyactuated contact typeor through any other preferred form of motor-controller. In Fig. 1 Ihave designated at 6 and 6 on each car the preferred location of amaster-controller and a motor-controller, respectively, such as areemployed in the system of train control shown and described in thepatent to Case, No. 728,540, granted May 19, 1903, my controllerattachment being applied to the master-controllers of said system. Ontop of each controllerI place a casing 7, in which is inclosed thefollowing mechanism: A gear-wheel 8, preferably a bevel-gear, isattached to the shaft 9 of the controller-cylinder, preferably by meansof a socketed hub 10, which extends up through the top of the casing 7and has a polygonal portion to receive the ordinary controller-handle11, by means of which the controller-cylinder can be turned as usualwhen desired. Surrounding the hub of the gear-wheel is a coiled spring12, one end of which is attached to the hub and the other to thecontroller-case or to an inclosing boX 13, securedto said case. Thisspring returns the controller-cylinder to the off position, when saidcylinder is free to move. An actuating electric motor 14 is geared tosaid wheel 8 by reducing-gearing, so that a motor making one thousand ortwelve hundred revolutions a minute will give a speed of not over tworevolutions per minute to the gear-wheel 8. Means are provided fordisengaging the gearing when the motor is opencircuited, so that saidgearing and motor will not interfere with the free movement of thecontroller-cylinder by the spring or the handle. One mode ofaccomplishing this result is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, Where themotor-shaft has a worm 15, meshing with a worm-gear 16, running loose ona horizontal shaft 17 carrying a bevel-pinion 18, meshing with thegear-wheel 8. Splined on the shaft is an iron hub 19, having one or moreflanges 20 20, the former standing close to a fiat face 21 on theworm-gear, the two constituting a friction-disk clutch. To press themtogether, so that the revolving worm-gear will rotate the shaft, astationary solenoid 22 surrounds the hub 19, so that the latter canrotate easily therein. The solenoid is in series with the motor, so thatwhen the circuit is closed and the motor starts the solenoid isenergized and magnetizes the iron hub 19 and flanges 2O 20, causing themto slide longitudinally into frictional contact with the worm-gear,whose rotation will thus be imparted to the shaft 17, pinion 18, andgear-wheel 8. When the motor is open-circuited, the solenoid isde'energized, and as the friction-disks no longer attract each otherthey are separated, preferably, by a spring 19, thus leaving the shaft,flanged hub, and gears free to rotate, while the worm-gear remainsstationary. Another mode of accomplishing this result is shown in Figs.9 and 10, where belt-gearing is used to connect the pulley-wheel 8 andthe pulley 18, the latter being on a short upright shaft carrying abevel gear-Wheel 23, meshing with a bevelpinion 24 on the shaft of theactuating electric motor. A belt-tightener 25 is operated by a lever 26and an electromagnet 27, the latter being in series with the motor, soas to tighten the belt when the motor-circuit is closed. Otherequivalent devices may be devised for effecting this general result.

One terminal of the actuating motor is grounded at 28. The other isconnected with a switch 29, arranged to close the motor-circuit on oneor the other of two contacts 30 31. The former is connected with aseries trainwire 32 and the latter with a parallel trainwire 33, whichare respectively connected with contacts 34 35 of a master-controllerlocated, preferably, on the casing 7 and comprising also a switch-arm36, adapted to connect either of these contacts with the line-conductor37 through a resistance 38 if it is desired to cut down the current inthe control-circuits. When the switch-arm 36 is in the off position,both circuits are open. The switcharm is preferably capable ofcontinuous rotary movement and is provided with a ratchet and pawl 39 tooblige the motorman to turn it in one direction only. The contacts 34 35are so located that the circuit will be closed on the latter just beforeit is opened at the former in order to start the motor before theelectromagnetic lock hereinafter described is deenergized.

The motor-switch 29 is preferably a rocking switch-blade 40, supportedon but insulated from a bracket 41 and provided with a spring 42 to giveit a snap action in both directions. The blade has a forked arm 43,which loosely engages one arm of a lever 44, fulcrumed on the bracket 41and provided with a pin 45, entering a cam-groove 46 in the upper sideof the gear-wheel 8 or 8. This groove has offsets 46 so shaped as toshift the switch at each half-revolution of the gearwheel and.controller-cylinder, a half-revolution being usually necessary to makethe circuit changes from the starting-point to full series position andfrom the latter to full parallel position.

On the under side of the gear-wheel 8 is a lug 47, having one faceinclined and the other abrupt. At two diametricallyopposite points nearthe gear-wheel are two electromagnets 4.8 49, each actuating a pivoteddetent 50, which is retracted by a spring 51 51 when the magnet isdeenergized. The detents lie in the path of the lug 47, so that as theWheel 8 is revolved by the motor the lug passes over the detents, itsinclined side pressing them down; but owing to the abrupt side of thelug engaging the detent the wheel cannot return so long as one of thedetents is held up by it magnet.

The electromagnets 48 49 are respectively in circuit with thetrain-Wires 32 33 and are so located that when the motor has turned thecontroller-cylinder into full-series position the lug 47 has just passedthe detent 50, so that when the motor is open-circuited the detentengages the lug and prevents the spring from returning the cylinder tothe ofli position. When both train-wires are opened, both electromagnetsare deenergized and the springs 51 51 pull the detents out of the pathof the lug 47 and permit the coiled spring 12 to operate.

The reversing-switch is operated by two solenoids 52 53, having a commoncore 54, geared by rack and pinion to the stem 55 of the switch. Springs56 hold the switch normally in the off position. The solenoid 52 is incircuit with a train-Wire 57 and contact 58 and the solenoid 53 withtrain wire 59 and contact 60. A switch-blade 61 is connected with theline-conductor and operates to close the circuit ofeither of saidsolenoids at will,

one placing the reversing-switch in the forward position and the otherin the back ward position.

The train-wires are grouped at each end of the car into a flexible cableprovided with a suitable coupling for connecting similar wires onadjacent cars.

By means of this invention electric-motor cars can be controlledseparately by hand in yards or car-barns and can be made up into trainscomprising as many cars as may be desired simply by coupling the carsand the train-wires. At junction-points one or more cars can be dropped0H and be capaple ofproceeding alone or in another train. If at any timethe train-control circuits should get out of order, each car can beindependently handled by its own controller.

It is evident that by using more than two oflsets in the cam-grooves anda corresponding number of electromagnetic locks the controller-cylindercan be stopped at points intermediate of full series and full parallel.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. A system of control for a train of elec-- tric-motor cars, comprisingone or more standard car-controllers on each car, an electric motorgeared to said controller, two motor-supplying train-wires, a switchadapted to connect said wires alternatively with the motor, and

means for operating said switch at predetermined points in the rotationof the controllercylinder.

2. A system of control for a train of electric-motor cars, comprisingone or more standard car-controllers on each car, an electric motorgeared to said controller, two motor-supplying train-wires, a switchadapted to connect said Wires alternately with the motor,

means for operating said switch at predetermined points in the rotationof the controllercylinder, electromagnetic locks for holding thecontroller-cylinder in predetermined positions, and means for returningthe cylinder to the off position when unlocked.

3. In a train-control system, the combination with a standardcar-controller, of an electric motor geared thereto, two motor-circuits,a switch for opening either circuit and at the same time closing theother circuit, and means rotating with the controller-cylinder foroperating said switch to open and close said circuits alternately.

4. In a train-control system, the combination with a standardcar-controller, of a motor geared thereto, two train-wires, connectionsbetween said train-wires and said motors, a switch for closing either ofsaid connections and at the same time opening the other connection, andmeans rotating with the controller-cylinder for operating said switch toopen one connection and close the other at a predetermined position ofthe controllercylinder and for operating said switch to open thelast-mentioned connection and close the first-mentioned connection atanother predetermined position of said cylinder.

,5. In a train-control system, the combinationwith a standardcar-controller, of an electric motor geared thereto, two motor-circuits,a switch controlling both circuits, a wheel rotating with thecontroller-cylinder and provided with a cam-groove for operating saidswitch to open and close. said circuits alternately, and anelectromagnetic lock for the controller-cylinder in each motor-circuit,in shunt to the switch and the motor.

6. In a train-control system, the combina tion with a standardcar-controller, of an electric motor gearedthereto, two motor-circuits,a switch controlling both circuits, a wheel r0- tating with thecontroller-cylinder, and provided with a cam-groove foroperating saidswitch to open and close said circuits alternately, an electromagnet ineach motor-circuit in shunt to the switch and the motor, a pivoteddetent operated by each electromagnet, and a lug on said wheel havingone inclined side and one abrupt side to cooperate with said detents.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my-

